Here is Blog No. 1 in our Postpartum Corvallis series! We'll bring you a series of twelve posts over the next three months, offering some great information about local resources as well as some in-depth profiles of some of the amazing birth professionals in our area.

So let's start at the beginning. Breakfast. Between feeding the baby, diaper changes, and settling the baby back to sleep, it can be a challenge to eat well during the first few weeks or month of baby's life. Especially if you are breastfeeding, eating well is extremely important. After a night of nursing, most moms feel intensely hungry and thirsty when they wake up. Did you know that nursing requires 600 extra calories beyond your normal dietary needs? This is no time to be dieting, or skimping on the nutrient density of your foods. But we all know that eating good food takes a bit of planning and preparation. And when you are famished and tired, it's so easy to grab a handful of candy because you know it will keep you going, at least for a few more minutes.

Here are five tips for getting the nutrition you need to stay healthy as you recover from birth.

1. One-handed is the way to go.If you can eat it with one hand, you can eat while holding your baby. You'll be holding your baby a lot, so keeping this tip in mind can make it that much easier to find something good to eat. A handful of almonds, for instance, is a more healthful choice than a handful of M&Ms, and is just as easy to eat. Keep granola, dried fruit, and nuts within easy reach.

2. Let others cook for you.Don't forget to add a Meal Train sign up to your baby shower activities, and request that people bring a variety of foods for you, not just casseroles. Another great idea is to ask for gift certificates to your favorite take-out restaurant and even gift cards to grocery stores that have nice hot food bars.

3. Two words: Breakfast Burrito.You can make a huge batch of breakfast burritos before the baby comes and freeze them. Then, just open the freezer, pop one or two into the microwave and in under two minutes you'll have a great meal ready to eat with almost no clean up required.

4. Smoothies! Stock your freezer with your favorite frozen fruits, keep some greek yogurt in your fridge, and you are on your way to a great one-handed, protein-packed superfood breakfast with just a few minutes of preparation.

5. Stay hydrated.Hydration is important in the postpartum period for all sorts of reasons. It helps prevent constipation, helps your body heal, and is essential for milk production. Most women feel very thirsty in the weeks after giving birth, especially when breastfeeding. Make sure your support people remember to get you a glass of water every time you sit down to nurse the baby. If you start feeling really tired, or get a headache, drink more water!

Need help with any of these tips? Proud Mama Support Services can help with that. That's what we're here for. We are experts at making delicious food packed with the nutrition that new moms really need. Plus, we don't leave the dirty dishes in the sink!​

After the baby is born, there are a ton of things to do with wee ones. We have mama-baby play groups almost every day of the week, and a plethora of possibilities for outdoor play with young babies and toddlers. You can even take your baby to an early childhood education class, starting from birth! There are so many things for babies in this town, I can't even come close to listing everything (but check this out).

So what's lacking in our birth community? Postpartum supportfor moms. Rachel Brinker has seen this gap for years, and in May she officially launched her business, Corvallis Proud Mama Support Services, to help address the need for in-home support for new moms and their families.

Unless she is under the care of a direct-entry midwife, a new mother typically won't see her healthcare provider for another six weeks after she leaves the hospital. She and her partner (if she has one) get the message that they are expected to handle life with a newborn on their own. If it gets to be too much, they might feel like it's because of a personal failing rather than a societal one. It's easy to see how these feelings of not being "good enough" or "strong enough" could set a new mom up for developing postpartum depression. But caring for a newborn baby as an isolated two- (or one-) parent unit is a relatively new idea, and one that does not best serve women, their partners, or their babies.

Breastfeeding support for struggling moms is available from lactation consultants and peer support groups like La Leche League, but that support is limited to online/phone communication or traveling to an office with a sore post-childbirth body and a newborn in tow. For some women, these hurdles are big enough that they decide to "make do" and not seek out help. Trying to "make do" without support for the breastfeeding mom and baby can increase a mom's stress and anxiety levels as she struggles to feed her baby, and can lead to a shorter duration of breastfeeding than she had originally hoped for.

Additionally, many women experience pelvic floor issues like incontinence and and abdominal weakness or instability after having a baby. These issues can easily be exacerbated by daily acts of mothering (lifting and carrying a baby around with less-than-ideal alignment, sitting a lot to feed and soothe a baby, babywearing, etc.) but they may not have been told by their providers how to protect their bodies and help it heal well from pregnancy and childbirth. Did you know that 53% of women have a diastasis recti immediately postpartum and 36% still have one at seven weeks postpartum? Do you know how to move safely and effectively if you do have a diastasis so that you don't make it worse?

And did you know that no, actually, you do not have to pee your pants every time you sneeze for the rest of your life? There are things you can do (Kegels are part of it, but not the whole answer). Many women retain the mindset from previous generations that incontinence is "just how it is after you've had a baby." Did you know there is just a thing as pelvic floor physical therapy and that in other developed countries, it's the standard of care that every woman leaves the hospital with a prescription for it?

Perhaps the biggest gap in our birth community is the fact that support groups for women who are experiencing postpartum depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders, have been inactive in Corvallis for quite a number of years. Even the support group in Albany has recently been cancelled.

All of this points to the general lack of postpartum support in our culture at large, not just in Corvallis. Traditional cultures all around the world honor the postpartum period as a unique and temporary time that requires intensive rest, shelter from the outside world, relief from day-to-day responsibilities, and support-both practical and emotional-from others who are knowledgable and experienced in what to expect during this time, But in contemporary U.S. culture, it is rare that the parents of a new baby will have that kind of support in place. Rather, the typical postpartum scenario is that relatives come to visit from out of town for a few days after the baby is born (possibly making more work for the parents rather than less), and after that...well, there's not much. Of course friends can be a great support if they've read up on how to be helpful to parents with a new baby. But sometimes it doesn't work out that way.

Recent research supports what women already know; having practical and emotional support postpartum, receiving adequate childcare education, and making maternal sleep a priority helps prevent postpartum depression and anxiety. Studies also confirm that when mothers feel supported by their partners, it's one of the best predictors for successful breastfeeding. Guess which professionals provide all this kind of support--helping partners know how to support the breastfeeding mom and baby, assisting with practical support around the home, being available on-site to answer questions about newborn care, and helping parents get more sleep? Postpartum doulas. We are experts in what's "normal and typical" in the postpartum period, for babies, for breastfeeding, for moms, for partners. We support you through the transition to having a new baby. Having that professional presence can make all the difference.

We have a culture of talking to pregnant women about All The Plans: where they plan to birth, how they plan to birth, who will be in the room, whether they'll be revealing the gender of the baby before the birth, what color they are painting the baby's room, whether they'll be using cloth or disposable diapers, which prenatal yoga class they're going to, and on and on. If we care about the mental health and wellness of new mothers as much as we care about pregnant women and new babies, we need to add another topic to those conversations.

"Who's your postpartum doula?"

Proud Mama Support Services is the only doula service in the Mid-Willamette Valley that focuses exclusively on postpartum support. This means we are not on call as a birth doula or midwife for other client's births. This means more availability for postpartum support when you need it.

Exciting things are happening here at Corvallis Proud Mama Support Services. We are putting our mission into action. We are committed not only to support parents in those early days with in-home care, but also to addressing the lack of support for postpartum issues such as postpartum body recovery and postpartum mood disorders. We are very pleased to announce that a WellMama postpartum support group will soon be starting again in Corvallis, with Rachel of Proud Mama Support Services and some fabulous mental health professionals at the helm.

And as we've written about before, Rachel will begin teaching a mom + babe (pre-mobile babies only) mamalates core recovery class for moms and pre-mobile babies at Live Well Studio on Thursdays from 2:30-3:45, starting on September 24. Click here to learn more about group core recovery classes as well as private mamalates sessions.

So the next time your friend, acquaintance, or patient announces she's pregnant, don't forget to ask her, "Who's your postpartum doula?" New parents need support in their homes, and that's what we provide. We are proud to be extending our amazing culture of support around birth to the postpartum period and working to make our birth community the very best it can be!

People are understandably a bit skittish at the thought of hiring a postpartum doula. Families are not necessarily at their best during the postpartum period. It's hard to find time to shower. Both parents are sleep deprived. The mother is sore, swollen, and weepy. Older siblings are reeling from their world being turned upside down. They're thinking, "WTF is going on around here? What happened to my world?" Everyone is hungry, tired, cranky, overwhelmed, and unsettled.

Why on earth would you want a stranger to come into your home to see you at your worst? Because we are trained to support you during the worst times, without judgement and without the baggage of complicated relationships outside of the postpartum time. You being at your worst is exactly why you want to hire us instead of relying on your friends and family in those moments. Drama is the last thing you need to be dealing with when you are caring for a newborn and recovering from childbirth.

On the other hand, there is a sweetness to the postpartum period that is so incredibly precious and fleeting, it should be savored carefully and slowly. Above all, families need to protect and shelter themselves from the outside world during their transition with the newest family member because those first moments will never come again, and they don't belong to anyone else but the parents and siblings of the newborn. Boundaries around your special time with your new baby can easily be overstepped by well-meaning relatives and friends who can't wait to get their loving hands on that baby and cuddle them endlessly. That's all well and good, unless it creates more work for you or interrupts the bonding process between you and your infant. Unfortunately, in the first few weeks, it usually does.

I recently received this review in my inbox, and I think it sums up very well what I do as a postpartum doula. Thanks, Janel B.!

"I met Rachel before she became a doula, and remember when she told me that she was going to start training thinking “oh…. She’ll be PERFECT!” Rachel has the ideal personality and presence for that special time surrounding birth. She has a tranquil and calming demeanor that makes her a safe person to rely on when things feel hectic or unpredictable. Her natural empathy makes her easy to share the joy and wonder and uncertainty and love that a new baby brings into your home. She is an attentive and doting mother, and that love and experience extends to other children openly, quickly earning trust. In fact, after meeting Rachel just a couple of times, my daughter requested her as her school emergency contact when I asked who my daughter would feel safest with in an emergency!I have given birth three times, to three amazingly different children, in three drastically different births, but if I think of those precious days with a new baby, I think my needs were largely the same each time: I just wanted someone I trusted nearby to keep my home functioning and my family’s needs met while I couldn’t. Rachel’s the sort of person you could hand a fussy newborn to as she walks in the door so you could hop in the shower for a few minutes, or run around the yard with a cooped-up sibling, or agree that your baby is perfect while she’s folding laundry… because if you’re anything like me, she just feels automatically like family!"

In many ways, a postpartum doula is like a family member who takes care of you when you are at your worst, but without all the emotional baggage and potential drama that comes with lifelong relationships. A doula fills a unique support role in your life for a short amount of time. We remain professional while providing compassionate judgement-free care.

Check out any pregnancy or parenting magazine and all you'll see are images of Pinterest-worthy homes with beautiful decor and perfectly organized baby clothes. They'll even be folded. The moms will be glowing, freshly bathed, and fit. There won't be any bodily fluids leaking out of them. Their boobs will be of a reasonable size--not completely engorged with milk; no blue veins, no stretch marks.

Does your life look like this? Mine doesn't either.

If you've just had a baby, no one should expect it to, especially you. You genuinely have more important things to do, like keeping a small human alive, and maybe finding a few minutes to take a nap.

Real life with a real baby does not look magazine perfect.

When I go to someone's house who's just had a baby, I do not expect it to be clean. I expect dirty dishes in the sink. I expect crumbs on the carpet. I expect water glasses everywhere. I expect piles of laundry all over the house. I expect things to be imperfect.

Because I've been there, and I realize now I was way too hard on myself. I was too concerned about what other people would think when they came over to visit. I worried that they would feel uncomfortable if the house was messy. I tidied. I put the laundry away. I picked up the piles of crap and put them in a bedroom and shut the door. But I was the one who had just had a baby! I vacuumed the whole house just a few days after giving birth and while I was recovering from a fourth degree tear.

Why do we hold ourselves to these ridiculous standards?

Part of my job as a postpartum doula is to give your family a hand with light housework. Don't feel bad about it. It's part of my job. Really. So please don't pre-clean for me, or anyone else for that matter.

Looking back now, I don't know why I felt the need to make it look like things at our house were "back to normal." In reality, I was completely exhausted and in a ridiculous amount of pain. I had no business trying to do housework. When you've just had a baby, there is no "getting back to normal." There is only adjusting to the new normal.

So, as your postpartum doula, I'm not going to clean to Pinterest standards. I'm going to help you adjust to the new normal and make sure you can see the bottom of your kitchen sink at least once a day.My advice is to revel in the postpartum period and let go of whatever you are feeling guilty about, or feeling like you are failing at becausethis is one of the few times in life when you have the perfect excuse to let those things go.

Curious about how a postpartum doula can lend you a hand? Click to find out more.

1. When she came over today, I had just gotten up after a long night with the baby. I was still in my pajamas, the dishes from dinner were still in the sink, and there was baby paraphernalia scattered all over the living room. I hadn't brushed my teeth yet, or eaten breakfast. She came in, but didn't judge the state of the house or me. After checking in with me about how the night had gone, she made some suggestions for how I could get more sleep while still meeting all of my baby's needs during the night. I hadn't thought of those things before--they seem so simple and obvious, but my sleep-deprived brain didn't think of them. She suggested things like having water and snacks by the bed so I don't have to go the kitchen when I'm thirsty or hungry in the middle of the night from nursing, and using the dimmest light possible when changing the baby's diaper so my sleep isn't further interrupted by turning the overhead lights on. So glad she's here!

I want to take a moment to outline the process I'm going through for certification with DONA International. Most people probably have no idea what it takes to get certified as a postpartum doula.

There's nothing that says doula have to get certified, and lots of experience can certainly lend a lot of credibility to someone's professional work. Not all doulas feel that certification is an important step in being a professional caregiver. But I do think it's important, so I want to share with you what it's all about.

DONA International has been around for a long time, and has always believed that actual research on the role of the doula is essential. They've been instrumental in producing some major findings that show continuous care through labor can dramatically improve outcomes for mom and baby, and that proper social and emotional support in the postpartum period has a preventative effect against postpartum depression and increases the success of breastfeeding. (Read DONA's position papers below!)

I respect DONA as an organization because I think their professional standards are very high, and I have a thing about integrity. So here's what I've been working on to become certified as a postpartum doula:

1. Be a professional member of DONA and adhere to their Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics.2. Complete a 3-hour breastfeeding class, an online lactation study program, or training as a breastfeeding counselor or other lactation professional.3. Attend 27 hours or more of in-person postpartum doula training.4. Complete an entire reading list of books on the following topics:

Becoming a Mother

The Newborn

Breastfeeding

Family Building, Touch, and Attachment

Infant Care

Postpartum Mood Disorders

Birth

Multiples

The Mother's Changing Body

The Work of the Postpartum Doula

5. Submit at least three good evaluations from mothers who each received at least eight hours of postpartum support from me, at least two of which have to be from breastfeeding mothers.6. Submit at least three good evaluations from the partner, spouse, or other significant adult support person of the mothers from #5.7. Write a 300-500 word account for each certifying postpartum experience.8. Signed confidentiality release forms from all clients whose information is being used for certification.9. A 500-1,000 word essay on "The Value of Postpartum Support"10. Develop a resource list of at least 45 local resources for clients from at least 30 different categories such as:

Domestic violence shelters

Addiction services

Birth centers

Breastfeeding equipment suppliers

Breastfeeding support groups

Child abuse protection agencies

Childbirth educators

Chiropractors and other alternative health providers

Multicultural resource centers

Early intervention programs

Pediatricians

Infant massage classes

Lactation consultants

Maternity clothes

Cloth diapers

Midwives

Postpartum support groups

Parenting classes

Play groups

Postpartum exercise and mama/baby yoga classes

Postpartum depression resources

Teen parent educational services

VBAC/CA support groups

Well baby clinics

11. Get a letter of recommendation from at least one health care professional.12. Provide two professional character references.13. Current Adult and Infant CPR certification

When you are deciding on who you'll hire as a doula, consider whether a formal certification process is an important piece for you. Lots of people can be caring and comforting, but not everyone has the same level of skill, training, and education. You and your baby deserve the best, and I look forward to serving you with the integrity, education, and code of ethics that comes with formal certification.